Treehouse of Horror XX/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Credits

Quotes

	Season 21 Episode References
← 444 "The Great Wife Hope"	445 "Treehouse of Horror XX"	"The Devil Wears Nada" 446 →

Cultural references

Opening sequence

• The bullies' costumes are:
  • Jimbo - The Master Chief from Halo.
  • Kearney - The Joker, as portrayed by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.
  • Dolph - Could be either Spider-Man or Venom, as he is wearing the black-and-white costume.
• Jimbo mentions Turner Classic Movies.
• After the bullies criticize the monsters' "normal" appearances, they costume themselves as follows:
  • Frankenstein as SpongeBob SquarePants.
  • The Werewolf as Harry Potter.
  • The Mummy as Captain Jack Sparrow.
  • Count Dracula as Iron Man.
• Costumes at the party:
  • Lenny and Carl - The Blues Brothers.
  • Principal Skinner - Waldo
  • Homer - Zorro

Dial 'M' for Murder or Press # to return to main menu

• The segment is a pastiche of numerous Alfred Hitchcock films:
  • Dial M for Murder is referenced in the segment title.
  • The main plot derives from Strangers on a Train, where two men plot to kill off each others' enemies.
  • During the scene where Lisa chases Bart, the title music from North by Northwest plays, and the scene includes other elements of North by Northwest, Vertigo and other Hitchcock movies. Hitchcock himself is shown in a brief cameo stepping out of a bus.
• Hubert Wong is a reference to Amy Wong from Futurama. He looks similar to her and has the same last name. His first name is also a reference to Hubert Farnsworth.

Don't Have a Cow, Mankind

• The segment title is a reference to Bart's catchphrase "Don't have a cow, Man!"
• The segment is a parody of both 28 Days Later and Children of Men, in that a plague of pseudo zombies are ravaging the world and a child holds the key to mankind's salvation and must be protected at all costs.
• The start of the Muncher outbreak is based on Zombieland, which also has Mad Cow disease infested zombies.
• When the Simpson home is about to be overrun by Munchers, Rainier Wolfcastle bursts through the front door and says, "Come with me if you want to live!", echoing a frequently heard catchphrase from the Terminator franchise.

There's No Business Like Moe Business

• The title is a wordplay on the song "There's No Business Like Show Business", which first appeared in the 1946 musical Annie Get Your Gun and later in the 1954 musical There's No Business Like Show Business.
• The segment is a parody of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
• At the end, the segment segues into a brief closing sequence where the cast of "There's No Business Like Moe Business" sing the song "Number XX" to the tune of the Simpsons Theme Song.

Trivia

• This is the first Treehouse of Horror episode since "Treehouse of Horror X" to air in October.
• The segment, "Don't Have a Cow Mankind", is the third time Springfield has been over run by zombies (the first two being "Treehouse of Horror III" and "Treehouse of Horror XIII").
• Even after turning into a Muncher, Homer is never seen trying to attack his family.
• At the end of the second segment, Homer still hasn't been changed back to normal (Bart probably wanted Homer to stay that way.)
• The ending song is the first time the main theme has been used for a song sung by the Simpsons.
• Due to the entire first segment being black and white (including the scary name credits near the beginning), the closing credits are the same and white text. Therefore, this is the only Treehouse of Horror episode to not use green closing credits.
• This was the first Treehouse of Horror to premiere in HD; the first standard episode to premiere in this format is "Take My Life, Please" from Season 20.

Goofs

• In the second segment, when Bart and Homer initially step outside and Homer blows their cover, Kirk Van Houten is seen in the back right of the muncher mob breaking down the front door to try to get to the Simpsons. Yet, when they make it to the safe zone, Mr. Van Houten is clearly seen in the front of the crowd before the Simpsons push themselves through. While it may be a goof, it could also be someone similar to him, though the physical features are astonishingly alike.
• At the beginning of the second segment, a yellow mouth with no body can be seen near the center of the screen for a few seconds shortly after a zombie Mr. Teeny appears. The mouth looks to be similar in shape to Mr. Teeny's mouth.
• Ralph Wiggum is seen as a muncher eating his own arms. Yet, he is seen happy and healthy at the end of the segment. Of course this could mean that Bart's immunity also doubles as a cure for the already infected. You can see Homer is still in his "muncher cage" behaving like a muncher.
• In the first segment, Mrs. Krabappel goes into her apartment without unlocking her door.
• After Homer becomes a muncher, the gun turns into a single barrel.
• Also in the second segment, when Lisa gets her soup there are vegetables in it. In the next frame, the vegetables have disappeared.
• In the third segment, before Kang and Kodos talk, the person sitting on the right of them disappears.
• In the second segment, no one stops to think that the burger that Bart eats is a regular burger that isn't tainted.
  • In the same segment, everyone reacts as if the disease is taking place everywhere. However, Krusty Burger only operates in Springfield.

← Season 20 Season 21 References Season 22 →

Homer the Whopper • Bart Gets a "Z" • The Great Wife Hope • Treehouse of Horror XX • The Devil Wears Nada • Pranks and Greens • Rednecks and Broomsticks • Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou? • Thursdays with Abie • Once Upon a Time in Springfield • Million Dollar Maybe • Boy Meets Curl • The Color Yellow • Postcards from the Wedge • Stealing First Base • The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed • American History X-cellent • Chief of Hearts • The Squirt and the Whale • To Surveil with Love • Moe Letter Blues • The Bob Next Door • Judge Me Tender